“I wasn’t laughing at you. I—” I cut myself off when he started withdrawing his hand from my panties. I exhaled and nodded. “Honestly, I probably am, yes.”
“Good.” He surprised the ever-loving holy hell out of me when that hand pushed back down into my panties, one of his fingertips immediately finding my clit and putting me out of my aching misery. “I never want you to stop laughing. At me. With me. Doesn’t matter. This is who we are, Jacque. We’re always going to have fun. Fuck everyone else, right?”
“Right,” I managed to whimper, but sparks of pleasure were already shooting through me from the circles he was drawing around my sensitive clit. “Do you think we could fuckmefirst, though? You know,beforewe get to everyone else?”
He let out a throaty laugh against my ear, then turned his head to sink his teeth gently into my neck, nipping the skin lightly before he pressed a kiss to it to ease away the sting. “You really are something else, Jacqueline Westwood.”
It was strange, hearing my name like that and knowing that after all these years, when that last name had been either accidentally or reluctantly tacked to my first, it was true this time. I was Jacqueline Westwood now, but for real.
Not because of an adoption that’d happened nearly fifty years ago, but because Jesse had chosen me. He’d chosen to make me his wife. Out of his own free will. Hell, he hadn’t just chosen it. He’d insisted on making it happen right away.
He slid a finger into me while keeping up with those infuriating circles. I abandoned all pretense of thought and rocked my hips into his hand. Letting my head drop back against his shoulder, I surrendered to him completely, truly believing those words I’d said earlier.
He really was the friend of my soul, and not just in the traditionalsoulmatekind of way. This went so much deeper. The Irish had a term for it, but it came down to the person being the one you could be your most innermost self with, without masks or pretension. A non-judgmental bond where the souls of two people connected.
Jesse was all that for me and more, and when he pulled his hand away only to bend me over the armchair in my room and take me from behind, I knew that what he and I had truly transcended the ordinary. Together, we were one of a kind, two halves made whole.
Who else would have this for their wedding night?
I curled my fingers into the cushion of the chair and pushed back onto him, a loud moan escaping as my thoughts scattered all over again. He gripped my hips hard, moaning on every thrust and literally driving the point home in the best way possible.
Tomorrow, he and I would have to face the world. Either judgment or acceptance. Only just a few days ago, that would’ve scared the hell out of me, but not tonight.
Tonight, there was only the two of us, coming together over and over again, our bodies joining the same way our souls had already tangled. And to me, having to face the world suddenly wasn’t so scary anymore.
How could it be, knowing I would have Jesse right beside me when I did it?
CHAPTER 49
JESSE
The backyard looked like something out of a ghost story, all dead grass, overgrown hedges, and a fence that leaned so much, it might fall over if someone just looked at it too hard. At some point in the last fifty years, I was pretty sure there would’ve been a swing-set in this yard, but there sure wasn’t anymore.
Not right now, anyway.
I tossed a ball for Hubert, watching him sprint after it across the would-be lawn like it was a football field. At least he didn’t seem to mind the state of it. In fact, it looked like he loved his new home.
Jacque and I had closed on this place last week, a stately, but severely neglected Victorian mansion in Riverside that we were going to turn into our dream home. Apparently. That was what Jacque had said, anyway.
That it had good bones.Familybones.
At the back of my mind, I was just wondering if that meant I’d have to trade in one of my sports cars for a minivan in the near future, but instead of being terrified about that prospect, I was excited. It was so weird what meeting that woman had done to me.
Hubert brought the tennis ball back, his tail wagging like crazy. He watched me scoop it up again. I drew my arm back and launched the ball across the yard once more, and this time, it disappeared briefly into a patch of weeds. Hubert tore after it like his life depended on retrieval and I chuckled as the late November air bit through my clothes.
The house might currently be one strong breeze away from being declared a historical hazard, but at least the ghosts had probably been included in the purchase price. Besides, it had been a few weeks since our impromptu wedding and I was ready to lay down roots together.
Anywhere. Even here. As long as it meant we would be doing it together, I was in.
A huff of laughter came from behind me and I turned, already grinning. “There he is.”
Will stepped out onto the back deck, his gaze sweeping over the yard like he was mentally cataloging every structural issue—and there were many.
“You know there’s no insulation anywhere in the house, right?” he said by way of greeting.
I pressed a hand to my chest, feigning offense. “Wow. Not even a hello?”
“Thatwashello,” he shot back, chuckling. “Also, seriously, there’s none. I’m pretty sure the walls are just vibes too instead of being solid structures.”
